Bird & Bao, downtown Patchogue takeout fixture, closing after seven years

Bird & Bao, the South Ocean Avenue takeout spot known for its tasty and puffy yeast bun sandwiches, is closing its doors after more than seven years in downtown Patchogue.

Owner Conor Swanson, a Long Island native, announced the closing on social media Wednesday.

“After 7 incredible years, Bird & Bao is closing its doors,” the post read. “Thank you to everyone who ate with us, supported us, worked alongside us, and helped make this place what it was. I’m incredibly proud of what we built and grateful for every memory. It’s time for a new chapter.”

The restaurant opened in 2019 at 58b South Ocean Ave., in the former Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame building. Swanson, a French Culinary Institute graduate, built the concept around the bao bun — a puffy, steamed yeast bun — that he’d spent years perfecting while living in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan restaurants.

He pitched it at the time as a New York City-style takeout counter geared toward the lunch crowd, with a small seating area, concrete floors and exposed duct work.

Over the years, the Bird & Bao menu expanded to bao sandwiches filled with chicken, pork, tofu and falafel, alongside five-spice fries, salads, and rice bowls.

No word yet on what’s next for the space, or for Swanson.

_{Top: Bird & Bao/Instagram}